Night Moves

John Foster as Champ

Tiller Russell/USA 2010/84 mins/tbc

The Wild West attempts to readdress gender roles with Tiller Russell’s tale of revenge, love and loyalty in this new take on the classic western, with a female anti-hero. Set in early 20th century America, the film follows the notorious outlaw, Juliette Flowers (Lizzy Caplan) as she attempts to take the body of her lover, the eponymous Ransom Pride (Scott Speedman) from Mexico to Texas for burial. But her journey is fraught with danger as some old enemies have also laid claim to Ransom’s corpse.

Featuring a cast of well known faces, including Dwight Yoakam and Kris Kristofferson, Russell’s homage to the Western genre is a disappointing and clichéd affair that does little to change the old fashioned role of women as either victims or mothers in cowboy movies. While it seems that the intention was to create a strong female role model with Caplan’s character, the end result is an unbelievable portrayal of an unlikeable and almost completely masculine figure. And it’s this, combined with some excessive cutting rhythms and a rudimentary script that creates a 21st century western that fails to educate or entertain.

Showing @ Filmhouse 17th and 18th of June, 22:35, 22:30

Book Tix @ EIFF